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(l-r) Paul Davies AM, FUW Pembrokeshire County Chairman David Nicholas and FUW Pembrokeshire County President Hywel Vaughan highlight that #FarmingMatters[/caption]
The importance of negotiating favourable trade deals and securing strong support for #FarmingMatters were at the forefront of discussions when Farmers’ Union of Wales officials met with Paul Davies AM at the Pembrokeshire County Show.
Union officials stressed the point that Wales must under no circumstances be placed at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the UK when it comes to allocating budgets post 2020 and that the Welsh Government had a responsibility to its farmers, not just here in Pembrokeshire but across Wales.
FUW Pembrokeshire County Chairman David Nicholas said: “I would like to thank Paul Davies AM for meeting with us at the show - it was a productive meeting and we discussed a wide range of issues. As an Union we emphasised that politicians of all parties need to recognise that #FarmingMatters, not just now but also post 2020. Farmers are money making machines and every pound we get converts into at least six in our rural economy. We now have an excellent opportunity to shape our own future, one that suits Wales and our governments can’t hide behind Brussels any longer. Brexit is hugely important to our country especially when we talk about negotiating trade deals and I would urge all of our politicians and key decision makers to throw their full support behind our farming industry.”
Union officials advised Mr Davies that it is consulting its members on what they consider to be of utmost importance in light of our departure from the EU and that the FUW will be making recommendations to Government shortly based on the feedback received from members.
“We also reminded Paul Davies AM that whilst exit plans are being drawn up at UK government level, there is something they can do in Cardiff to support our Welsh farming industry. We reiterated that it is in the gift of both the Welsh and UK Government to start planning for more sustainable and supportive public procurement policies and reminded him that hiding behind state-aid rules is no longer an option: our schools, hospitals, armed forces and all other public services deserve access to the top quality produce that we grow here in Wales, and our farmers and rural economies deserve recognition for what they produce.
“In our meeting we called again for immediate action to initiate draft legislation which will mandate the procurement of British produce by the UK public Sector. This will support rather than spite the sectors which lie at the heart of our rural economies. But we also reinforced our call to take immediate action on tackling the bovine TB problem. If we do not change our policy on the wildlife vector in regards to bovine TB, our exports to the European Union, in a post-Brexit world, are under considerable threat and it is high time that Welsh Government act fast to ensure that exactly that doesn’t happen,” added Mr Nicholas.